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The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard Of Oz, which is the name of both the popular 1902 Broadway musical and the well-known 1939 film adaptation. The story chronicles the adventures of a young girl named Dorothy Gale in the land of Oz, after being swept away from her Kansas farm home in a cyclone. The novel is one of the best-known stories in American popular culture and has been widely translated. Its initial success, and the success of the 1902 Broadway musical which Baum adapted from his original story, led to Baum's writing thirteen additional Oz books. The original book has been in the public domain in the U.S. since 1956. Baum dedicated the book "to my good friend & comrade, my wife", Maud Gage Baum. In January 1901, George M. Hill Company completed printing the first edition, which totaled 10,000 copies. Plot Dorothy Gale is a young orphaned girl raised by her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry in the bleak landscape of a Kansas farm. She has a little black dog named Toto who is her sole source of happiness on the dry, gray prairies. One day, Dorothy and Toto are caught up in a cyclone. It deposits their farmhouse into a field in Munchkin Country, the eastern quadrant of the land of Oz. The falling house kills the wicked witch of the east, the evil ruler of the munchkins. The good witch of the north comes with the grateful munchkins to greet Dorothy and gives Dorothy the silver shoes which are believed to have magical properties that the wicked witch of the east had been wearing when she was killed. In order to return to Kansas, the good witch of the north tells Dorothy that she will have to go to the emerald city and ask the wizard of Oz to help her. Before she leaves, the good witch of the north kisses her on the forehead, giving her magical protection from trouble. On her way down the yellow brick road, Dorothy frees the scarecrow from the pole on which he is hanging, applies oil from a can to the rusted connections of the tin woodman, then meets the cowardly lion, and encourages the three of them to journey with her and Toto to the emerald city. The scarecrow wants to get a brain so he can think and store knowledge, the tin woodman wants a heart so he can love and be compassionate, and the cowardly lion wants courage so he won't ever feel afraid. All four of the travelers believe that the wizard can solve their troubles. The party overcomes many obstacles on their journey, including gaps in the yellow brick road, vicious kalidah beasts with bodies like bears and heads like tigers, a river, and a field of deadly poppies. When the travelers arrive at the emerald city, they are asked by the guardian of the gates to wear green spectacles as long as they remain in the city. The four are the first to ever meet the wizard. He appears to each of them as something different: Dorothy sees the wizard as a giant head, the scarecrow sees the wizard as a beautiful woman, the tin woodman sees the wizard as a terrible beast, and the cowardly lion sees the wizard as a ball of fire. The wizard agrees to help them all if they defeat the wicked witch of the west who rules over the western Winkie Country. The guardian of the gates warns them that no one has ever managed to harm the very cunning and cruel wicked witch. As the friends travel across Winkie Country, the wicked witch can see them coming. First, she sends her 40 great wolves to tear them to pieces, but the tin woodman manages to kill them all with his axe. Second, she sends her 40 wild crows to peck their eyes out, but the scarecrow manages to kill them all by breaking their necks. Third, she summons a swarm of black bees to sting them, but the tin woodman sits atop the scarecrow's extra straw that hides the other three. Fourth, she has her winkie soldiers attack them, but the cowardly lion stands firm to repeal them. Finally, she uses the power of the golden cap to send the winged monkeys to capture Dorothy, Toto, and the cowardly lion, un-stuff the scarecrow, and dent the tin woodman. This plan is successful and the survivors are carried to the wicked witch. She forces Dorothy to do housework for the castle while scheming to steal her silver shoes. The wicked witch tricks Dorothy out of one of her silver shoes and in anger, Dorothy throws a bucket of water at the wicked witch. Dorothy is shocked to see the witch melt away. The winkies rejoice at being freed of the witch's tyranny and they help re-stuff the scarecrow and mend the tin woodman. The winkies ask the tin woodman to become their ruler, which he agrees to do after helping Dorothy return to Kansas. Dorothy finds the golden cap and summons the winged monkeys to carry her and her companions back to the emerald city. The king of the winged monkeys tells how he and the other monkeys are bound by an enchantment to the cap by the sorceress Gayelette, and that Dorothy may use the cap to summon the winged monkeys two more times. When Dorothy and her friends meet the wizard of Oz again, he tries to put them off, but Toto accidentally tips over a screen in a corner of the throne room where the wizard hides. He sadly explains he is a humbug—an ordinary old man who came to Oz long ago from Omaha by a hot air balloon. The Wizard provides the scarecrow with a head full of bran, pins, and needles, the tin woodman with a silk heart stuffed with sawdust, and the cowardly lion a potion of "courage". Their faith in the wizard's power gives these otherwise useless items a focus for their desires. In order to help Dorothy and Toto get home, the wizard decides to leave the emerald city and take them home with him, as he has grown tired of being cooped up and wants to return to circus work. He and Dorothy make a new hot air balloon from green silk. At the send off, he reveals himself to the people of the emerald city and he appoints the scarecrow, by virtue of his brains, to rule in his stead, which he agrees to do after Dorothy returns to Kansas. Toto chases a kitten in the crowd and Dorothy goes after him, but the tethers of the balloon break and the wizard floats away. Dorothy summons the winged monkeys to carry her and Toto home, but they explain they cannot cross the desert surrounding Oz. The soldier with the green whiskers advises that Glinda the good witch of the south may be able to help Dorothy and Toto get home. Dorothy, Toto, the scarecrow, the tin woodman, and the cowardly lion journey to Glinda's palace in Quadling Country. Together they escape the fighting trees, tread carefully through China Country where they meet Mr. Joker, and dodge the armless hammer-heads on their hill. The cowardly lion kills a giant spider who is terrorizing the animals in a forest. The animals ask the cowardly lion to become their king, which he agrees to do after helping Dorothy return to Kansas. Dorothy summons the winged monkeys a third time to fly them over the hammer-heads' mountain. At Glinda's palace, the travelers are greeted warmly, and it is revealed by Glinda that Dorothy had the power to go home all along: the silver shoes she wears can take her anywhere she wishes to go. She tearfully embraces her friends, all of whom will be returned, through Glinda's use of the golden cap, to their respective kingdoms: the scarecrow to the emerald city, the tin woodman to Winkie Country, and the cowardly lion to the forest. The golden cap is given to the king of the winged monkeys, so they will never be under its spell again. Having bidden her friends farewell one final time, Dorothy clicks her heels together three times and wishes to return home. When she opens her eyes, Dorothy and Toto have returned to Kansas to a joyful family reunion. Trivia The Wizard Of Oz was only the first of 40 official Oz books published between 1900 and 1963. Baum wrote 14; six other writers contributed the rest. There have been hundreds of versions of The Wizard Of Oz alone, whether full-text, adaptation, or abridgement; all 39 sequels have gone through multiple printings as well. From early on, Oz was promotionally touted and eventually critically recognized as "America's own fairyland" Four years passed between the first and second Oz books, and three between the second and third.Category:The Wizard Of Oz